Sales student places Top 16 in this year’s virtual NCSC

It’s become tradition for Bloomsburg University to be well represented at the National Collegiate Sales Competition (NCSC), often outperforming much larger school competition, including one Husky placing second overall last year and another in the Top 13 the year before.

This spring was to be no different. And then the COVID-19 pandemic hit.

“This was my first sales competition, and I honestly was disappointed when I found out we wouldn’t be able to travel to Georgia,” said Brittany Zipovsky, a professional sales and marketing major, who placed in the Top 16 as a semifinalist at this year’s NCSC. “I was happy to hear they were working to make the competition work virtually.”

Zipovsky added NCSC and its product sponsor Gartner were very helpful and constantly updated the competitors with instructions, demonstrations, and live Q&A’s to make sure they were comfortable with the new technology and guidelines. Her preparation — normally done with classmates in Sutliff Hall, adjusted to home, as well.

“To adjust, my coach, Dr. (Monica) Favia; teammate Dylan Cohen; and student assistants Alex Shaffer and Ryan Chinni, practiced video role-plays via Zoom each week,” Zipovsky said. “It was tough transitioning our months of face-to-face prep to a virtual platform, but there was lots of help along the way.”

According to Zipovsky, instead of an actual face-to-face with potential buyers in the role-play competition NCSC competitors spoke with their clients over WebEx video chat to identify what their needs and goals are for the business. Contestants had 20 minutes to uncover the needs, deadlines, and issues the client was facing and then show why their product would be a useful investment, she said.

“I learned so much,” Zipovsky said. “My key takeaway was to be adaptable and resilient in any situation. Selling over WebEx was not ideal nor were any of us familiar with it, yet we still worked hard to learn it.”

She added the NCSC experience — even virtually — taught her to be confident and take every opportunity that comes her way.

“This was my first sales competition, and I made it to the semifinal round,” Zipovsky said. “There were over 130 competitors; but my hard work, great coach, and supportive team helped me to place in the Top 16.”

That foundation for success was laid months prior, she added.

“(This) sales program is built to give students the opportunity to grow by pairing students with dedicated professors,” Zipovsky said. “The numerous opportunities offered by the program have prepared me for a life in the professional world. The professors have relevant knowledge to share, and you can tell they enjoy teaching.

“Sales is something you cannot master by reading a book, and BU does a great job of merging classroom knowledge and professional sales experience.”